MySpace have responded to accusations that their new music store service is intentionally blocking independent artists and labels.

You may or may not be aware that MySpace (a site perhaps no longer in its heyday) is about to launch a digital music service to rival iTunes, Napster, eMusic, etc... However, insiders are reporting that MySpace have procured content from all major labels but have not spoken to any independents. Rumours suggest this may be because the major record companies are hoping to monopolize the service upon its launch. Other rumbles suggest that the terms being offered are not acceptable for independents who deal in much smaller margins.

A MySpace Music spokesman has reacted to these murmurs via music-tech blog Hypebot saying:

"We are not aware of any antitrust complaint or inquiry pending against either MySpace or MySpace Music. MySpace Music welcomes indie artists and is not blocking content from them or other labels. Our goal is to provide the indie community with powerful tools and monetization channels to enable them to access revenue streams previously unavailable."

DiScuss: a lot of hot air? Will you be buying music from MySpace where you're used to hearing things for free? Are MySpace now going to begin sharing their ad revenue with artists, who built their business, every time a track is streamed like Last.Fm? Heard anything good on MySpace lately?